Reinventing Your Exit
by Ancell
Summary: The clans have disbanded and the cats went their separate ways. That was moons ago, can the clans be restored? Star, who knew nothing of the clans before meeting a mysterious cat, will soon find out how hard it is. Especially with enemies like theirs.
1. Chapter 1

Hi! So this is my second Warriors story I'm starting, I hope you guys will give it a chance. I'm sorry the first chapters short and kind of boring but I put a lot of work into it and I'd really like to continue this. So I hope you give it a chance!

* * *

"_Greetings. My name is Arrow." said a calm tortoiseshell tom, surrounding patrol of WindClan cats. At his calm tone, the WindClan patrol seemed to relax ever so slightly. Ashfoot stepped forward, looking the tom in his amber eyes._

"_Greetings, I am Ashfoot, of WindClan. What business do you have on our territory?" she asked._

"_I merely wish to meet with your leader, Onestar, I believe his name is. You are the deputy are you not?" he said, his amber eyes calm as he spoke, giving way nothing._

"_You know a lot for a rogue." she commented. _

"_Perhaps I am a lot for a rogue." Arrow countered simply._

Star woke earlier than usual, the images of the strangely vivid cats from his dreams still caught in his mind. He'd been having strange dreams like that ever sense he could remember. Dreams of vivid cats, in a beautiful place beside the lake. They seemed to live in four separate very organized groups, but something happened… the tortoiseshell tom seemed to have something to do with it. He was in almost every dreams and his presence was foreboding. Like his arrival had meant the inevitable end.

Beside him his litter mate, Lightning, was still deep in sleep. No light was showing through the mouth of the badger set he and his brother shared, along with their mother, her five kits of three and a half moons and a she cat named Sapphire who'd basically been he and his brother's littermate. Her mother had been their mother's best friend and when she'd died, their mother had taken her in. So she lived here, helping out with the five kits who were more than a paw full now that they were old enough to cause mischief.

Stepping carefully over his larger brother, Star slid out into the barely light cracked morning and had a nice stretch. I'd been so dry this green leaf, dew dried off the grass in the morning before first light, sucked into the ground. Streams has all dried up and prey had seemed to migrate closer too the river. The river was a slow until a part far down when in picked up into rapids, and was too wide to jump in a leap but still rather narrow, opening up when the rapids started.

Star and Lightning usually lived in an old rabbit hole, that was far away from the river. It was under a tall oak tree and had a stream running close by it. With the drought, though, they'd had to move closer to the river which meant back with their mother for a while. Which really wasn't a problem other than the crowded den.

With a shake of his pelt he plunged off intro the woods for something too eat. A shiver ran through him awhile later, and he swore he could feel eyes burning into his silver and black pelt. He looked around, scanning the area with his blue eyes, ears pricked. Finding nothing, he shook it off blaming it on his bizarre dream and got back to hunting. He'd catch something for himself then see what else he could find. Watching over five mischievous kit rarely gave his mother, Angel, time too hunt and the kits were eating prey now as well. So he, Lightning and Sapphire usually helped out by hunting for Angel and the kits.

He'd barely gotten over the paranoid feeling when his paw grazed fur and he jumped, tail fluffing out and whipped around to see what it was. He came face to face with a pair of green eyes and dark tabby furred face that nearly seemed back in the dim morning light. The tom looked back at him, his eyes pained but calm.

"Who are you?" Star questioned, heart still racing he came off more aggressive than he meant too.

"My name is Thorn." the tom said, his voice was rough like he hadn't had water in a while. Star noticed he could smell blood.

"Are you okay?" Star asked, in this light he couldn't see could barely make out tabby markings on his pelt, never mind any wounds he might have. Thorn said nothing, as something that might have been shame flashed in his eyes. Star realized he didn't want to admit he desperately needed help.

"My name is Star, let me help you to the river its only through those trees." he said, stepping closer. Thorn eyed him suspiciously for a moment, then struggled weakly to his paws, favoring his back right leg. Now that he was standing, Star could see this cat was big and sturdy and having him leaning on him for support, Star felt just _how sturdy_. By the time they made it to the river Star felt like his own legs were going to give, he himself being small and slim, especially compared to Thorn.

Thorn lapped hungrily at the water, crouching in such a way that there was no weight on his back leg. In the now stronger morning light, Star could see he was covered in fresh claw marks and there was a deep gash in his back leg. The gash looked painful and a slow flow of blood was coming from it.

"What happened too you?" Star asked carefully, hoping he wasn't pushing anything.

Thorn remained calm though, and with a few more laps lifted his head licking water from his whiskers, "There is a groups of cats, they don't like what I'm trying to do so they're trying to scare me out of it." He said, sitting up tilted awkwardly to the left.

Star was about to ask him what hes trying to do, but a rustle in the undergrowth and the appearance of a familiar ginger pelt and an even more familiar black pelt drew his attention away. Sapphire and Lightning had found us. Sapphire was a ginger tabby she cat who got her name from her bright blue eyes, while Lightning got his name from a single, jagged silver streak through his black fur. The two of them looked curiously at Thorn and then to Star.

"This is Thorn, I'm helping him." he said, they nodded.

"Is he okay or… should-" Sapphire tried to figure out the situation

"We can bring him too the set after we hunt… if he wants…" Star said, casting a glance at Thorn.

Thorn looked back at him for a moment, then nodded, "That'd be good." he said.

"I'm hunting around the river today so you can stay here." Lightning said, Lightning was the most skilled hunter of the three of them.

Thorn nodded, standing, his green eyes on a shady spot in the grassy roots under a tree. He an Lightning were of the same size and build, big with broad shoulders and lean strong muscles. He limped stiffly over to the soft shaded area, and settled down.

"My names Lightning by the way." Lightning informed.

"I'm Sapphire." the orange tabby said, Thorn nodded to the two of them.

"So… sense Lightnings hunting around here… you want to take the tall grass field and I'll take the up stream wood?" Star said, turning too Sapphire.

" Alright." she said, and with a quick nod good by to Lightning and Thorn and each other, the two cats set out.

Star found himself having to move much farther up stream than he usually did, had all the prey sent out warnings too one another? It sure seemed like it. He'd finally take down his first mouse, much farther down stream than he cared too be, when a wait crashed down on top of him.

Star let out a yowl of surprise as claws dug into his pelt, and he quickly rolled onto his back to shake his attacker off. Quickly he whipped around to face his attacker; a dark gold tom with glaring blue eyes. The tom leapt at him almost before Star could turn around, and it was all Star could do too stumble out of the way.

"Fang!" a voice called, and both cats turned there heads. Ice short through Star's veins. Standing only tail lengths away was the cat from his strange dreams.

* * *

Again sorry its so short and kind of boring, I'm trying to set the scene and I promise it'll be more interesting. Show me a sign you like so I know whether too continue or not!

-Ancell

By the way here is a list of the cats seen so far, so everyone can keep track.

-Star: Silver and black tabby tom with blue eyes  
-Thorn: Big, sleek, thick furred, dark brown tabby tom with green eyes  
-Lightning: Big black tom with a jagged streak of silver through his fur and blue eyes  
-Sapphire: Ginger tabby she cat with bright blue eyes  
-Arrow: Tortoiseshell tom with amber eyes (from Star's dream)  
-Fang: Dark gold tabby tom with blue eyes


	2. Chapter 2

So I decided to try this out and see if I get a better result. Hope I do, hope you enjoy!

* * *

"_Fang!" a voice called, and both cats turned there heads. Ice short through Star's veins. Standing only tail lengths away was the cat from his strange dreams._

Almost. This cat was a she cat, and her darker pelt held none of the sinister presence the dream cat's did. Her presence was cool and free almost calming, Star would have thought, if hostile eyes weren't burning a fiery hole in his pelt. He shot a glance at the golden tom, who tore his glare from Star to look at the she cat with a more gentle expression, though there was still challenge glowing in it.

"Fang, what _are_ you doing?" she hissed, swinging her thick tail.

"He's-"

"No." Star blinked, had he missed a part of the conversation? He glanced between the two strange cats as a silent argument flashed between them. A few heart beats later, the golden tom backed down. Softened amber eyes turned on him, and the tortoiseshell took a step forward.

"I apologize for Fang. He thought you were… someone else." she mewed smoothly, her pretty eyes locking with his. Star felt his fur itch nervously under her gaze.

"Its alright…" he said lowly, he couldn't help but notice the way Fang was looking at her. He seemed a bit confused and jealous even.

"I'm Ivy, by the way." she said, her voice danced prettily through his ears.

Star glanced down at his mouse, felling himself grow a bit timid in her gaze, "I'm Star." He replied, looking back up at her, but not looking her in the eye.

"I've never seen you before. Do you live around the lake?" she asked. The river they were standing by was fueled but an open lake, he realized he was much closer than he anticipated. The Lake was probably just over the hill not too far off in the distance. He was farther from home than he realized.

"No, I live down stream." he answered.

"We stay around the lake with some kin of ours." She said, flicking her tail toward Fang at the word we. Star felt a slight prick of envy toward the golden tom, which he found strange sense he hardly knew either of these cats.

Star opened his mouth to respond, when another voice broke in, "Everything alright here?" A grey and white tom with thick soft looking well kept fur appear from a bushel of undergrowth, his light green eyes flicking from Ivy and Fang to him.

"Everything is fine, Clyde." Ivy responded, her voice sweet and light. Despite her voice, though, Star was getting anxious. Two of these strange cats were prepared to attack him in a tail twitch's notice.

He cleared his throat, "I should probably be getting back to my kin." he said, flexing his claws into the dry earth restlessly. The three cats stared at him for a moment.

"Alright, Star. Hope to run into you again." Ivy beamed an him.

With a nod at all three cats, he picked up his mouse and quickly made his way away from the three cats. As he followed the river, his mind continued to wander to Ivy. The tortoiseshell queen was the most beautiful cat he'd ever met, and he hoped he did meet her again. Next time with out any hostile claws trying to shred him.

* * *

It was nearly sunhigh when Star finally made it back. On his way he managed to catch another mouse and a vole. He found both Sapphire and Thorn sitting on bank of the river, watching something intently. As he dropped his prey with the others', a squirrel and another mouse, he joined them to see they were watching Lightning.

Lightning, black fur shimmering with water in the bright sunlight, was perched on a rock near the shore, staring at the water intently. Their late father, a long haired black tom, had been an excellent fisher and ever sense his death, they'd been trying to master it as well. His brother was the best hunter he ever knew, Star watched with interest.

Lightning's paw was poised to strike and showed no sign of knowing anyone was watching. He was completely focused. He seemed to sit their, still as stone for moons. Then in a flash of moment almost too fast to follow, Lightning struck out, and hooked a minnow. Taking the struggling fish in his teeth he leapt to shore before in could flop back in the water. For the first time he seemed to notice his audience.

"Lightning, that was brilliant!" Sapphire purred, licking his cheek as he dropped his fish.

"Well done." Star purred, touching noses with his brother. He notice Thorn was watching them with interest. He must be impressed by Lightning as well.

"Thank you." Lightning purred, he was practically glowing with pride. It was unusual for Lightning, who was usually very self disciplined and hard on himself, to take such pride in himself. It was good to see his brother so happy.

Star watched as he leapt back onto the rock and stared into the water once more. I didn't take nearly as long this time for him to hook another, he'd figured out the technique. He padded over with it and look at the prey Sapphire and Star had caught.

"Should be enough." he meowed. Star nodded in agreement, and each took up their prey and headed home. Thorn leaned on Lightning who was almost as big as him and they here home at the peek of sunhigh.

"Lightning, you _caught_ those?" Star and Lightning's three moon old younger siblings gazed up at him in amazement. The speaker had been the most rambunctious of the five, Eve, the only daughter of Angel and Lark.

"Hey whos he?" questioned another kit, their father's look alike who also bore the name Lark. His blue eyes were glimmering with interest as they gazed up at Thorn.

Just then a silver she cat stepped out from the depths of the badger set, their mother, Angel. She gave a good stretch as if she'd just woken up from a nape, then looked at the cats before her. "Mother look what Lightning caught!" Cloud mewed to their mother, her eyes fell on her much bigger kit.

"Well done Lightning." she purred and padded over, nuzzling her muzzle against his affectionately. "You're becoming as fine a hunter as your father was." she added.

It was only then did she seem to notice the enormous cat lean against him, Thorn dwarfed even Lightning who was a rather big cat himself. Star dropped his prey with Lightning's fish and was about to introduce him, but he spoke first.

"I am Thorn, these cats have been helping me." he said, his voice respectful yet dignified. He limped forward a few steps as he spoke.

"Oh my, are you alright?" Angel was all maternal instinct and any injured cat was just as bad as her kit being injured.

"Look at those claws! They don't even sheath all the way their so long!" said Kestrel, Lightning's would be younger twin if he had the sliver streak, gawked at Thorn.

"Hes the biggest cat I've ever seen! Hes even bigger than Lightning!" Halo, Star's look alike, piped in from beside Kestrel.

Thorn gazed down at the two kits and let out a purr, his eyes showing with amusement at the kits' clear amazement with him. Cloud approached him carefully, and sniffed at his injured leg. With a sneeze from Thorn he almost jumped out of his silver fur. Fur all fluffed out he said, "What happened to you?"

Star seemed to notice for the first time there was a ting of sickness coming off of Thorn as the tabby tom sneezed again. He himself was beginning to wonder what exactly had happened too Thorn, and where had he come from?

"Lets eat now. You may speak with out guest later." Angel spoke, then proceeded to divide up the prey. Two mice between the five kits, the vole for Sapphire, a mouse for Star, the squirrel for Thorn and a fish for her and one for Lightning. Thorn watched them all, interest sparking in his green eyes.

* * *

"I was attacked." Thorn told the kits, as the five of them gazed up.

"_You _got beat in a fight?" Kestrel said is disbelief.

"I was attacked by four cats." Thorn clarified.

"Where are you from?" Sapphire questioned.

"I live up by the lake." he said, letting out a small cough.

"How'd you get all the way down here? Thats a bit of a ways for such an injury." she mewed, sniffing at his leg.

"I fell into the river during the fight, and was swept all the way down here." It was all believable. Thorn had been a mess when Star had found him, and he was just as bad now, only the bleeding had stopped.

The kits continued to bombard the tabby tom with questions, until tiredness glazed his eyes and Angel shooed them away to play else where. Now they were playing on the rock pile that stood tall above the set, and as the sun began to sink Lightning Sapphire and Angel went out to catch more prey, leaving Star to watch the kits. Being preoccupied though, they would not be up to much mischief.

Star glanced at the large tabby, curled up in the dying sunlight. His pelt was a matted dirty mess, but Thorn seemed to in pain to worry about that. So throwing caution to the wind, he carefully padded over and began grooming the large cat's shoulder. Thorn's eye flicked open and he glanced at Star, then letting out a soft purr he let his eye closed.

"Have you ever heard of the clans?" he asked after a while, when Star was licking the wound on his leg clean.

"No." Star said, glancing at the tom as he sat up and began grooming Star in return.

"There were four of them once… they lived around the lake a long time ago. Nobal ThunderClan of the forest, swift WindClan of the moors, powerful ShadowClan of the marshes, and proud RiverClan of the streams. I am a descendant of ShadowClan." Thorn told him.

"What happened too them?" Star asked, wondering if Ivy was a descendant of these clans.

"No one knows for sure. All I know is there was a cat, an evil cat. He somehow made the cats doubt everything they believed in, and so they disbursed. Now moons later few cats remember them. Your brother, he reminds me of how I think the RiverClan cats were." Thorn said, as Star bit free a mat in his tabby pelt. Mention of the evil cat made him think of the tortoiseshell from his dreams.

"Lightning does?" Star flashed him a questioning look.

"Yes. RiverClan were the only cat who fished, the other clans were too uncomfortable in the water." Thorn explained.

"Our father had always been comfortable in the water." Star mused.

"Perhaps he was of RiverClan descent." Thorn said, then meowed, "At this time of day, clan cats would groom their fellow clan mate just like this. They called it sharing tongues."

"The clans sound so… close. How on earth did one cat break such bonds?" Star said, Thorn's pelt was finally smooth clean and shiny once more.

The tabby stopped groom to look him in the eye, "Evil knows no boundaries." he mewed, then went back to cleaning Star's fur, "In a way, your family reminds me of a clan. You hunt together and feed those who can't feed themselves."

"What were the clans like?" Star asked. With one last lick Thorn sat back, and looked thoughtful for a moment. Then he began to explain the basics of clan life from what he knew.

Star thought the clans were amazing. Living among other cats, all the loyalties and positions. It was all so great, he found himself wishing he and Lightning were RiverClan cats. Hunting for the clan, learning to fight like warriors, teaching younger cats the greatness of their clan. It sounded like the life for him, unfortunately they were a thing of the passed now.

"Would we be apprentices?" Star blinked, he hadn't realized the kits had joined them, listening to Thorn's works.

"Not quiet, apprentices are a bit older. Six moons." Thorn told them. They look just as excited by Thorn's words as.

"The clans sound so cool!" enthused Lark, twitching his long black furred tail excitedly. Just then Angel Lightning and Sapphire padded from the undergrowth. Lightning had hooked three fish this time. The kits rushed off hungrily, and after eating it wasn't long before the ten cats all squeezed into the badger set for the night, all curled close as they fell asleep.

* * *

Instead of being plagued with imaged of the dark tortoiseshell, Star's dreams were filled with images of a long haired grey tom and a silver she cat. She was nervous and beautiful, he was excited and strong as they came upon a large group of cats gathered on an island. Then it flashed to images of a very sleek black tom cat, as a kit being rescued from a powerful river. Images of him fishing, listening to a strangely spotted golden tabby she cat. They were for the most part happy images on both sides.

As he watched he somehow seemed to realize these where clan cats. He was seeing pieces of the lives of former clan cats. It was strange but beautiful, and he once again felt the long to be part of a clan. The longing he'd felt through out Thorn's story. From what he'd seen, these clan were powerful, it was bone chilling such cats were brought down by a single sinister cat.

* * *

So? I hope you liked this, let me know!

-Ancell

Again, here is a list of the cats, just in case anyone is confused

-Star: Silver and black tabby tom with blue eyes  
-Thorn: Big, sleek, thick furred, dark brown tabby tom with green eyes  
-Lightning: Big black tom with a jagged streak of silver through his fur and blue eyes  
-Sapphire: Ginger tabby she cat with bright blue eyes  
-Arrow: Tortoiseshell tom with amber eyes (from Star's dream)  
-Fang: Dark gold tabby tom with blue eyes  
-Ivy: Beautiful dark tortoiseshell she cat with amber eyes and a fluffy tail  
-Clyde: Soft looking grey and white tom with green eyes  
-Angel: Silver she cat with green eyes  
-Eve: Long haired black she cat with green eyes (kit)  
-Lark: Long haired black tom with blue eyes (kit)  
-Cloud: Silver tom with a black paw and tail tip and blue eyes (kit)  
-Halo: black and silver tom with blue eyes (kit)  
-Kestrel: Black tom with blue eyes (kit)


End file.
